Do Automation and Robotization Affect Occupation in India? An Empirical Study

Abstract

Technology is reshaping the occupational landscape. Technological adoption has accelerated in the last few years with the increasing use of robots and automation. However, only a few pieces of literature are available that discuss how robotization and automation would change the world of work. In India, hardly any empirical research discusses the risk of robots and automation in occupations. The article estimates the industrial robot density in the manufacturing sector in India for the period 2011–2012 to 2020–2021. It also observes the workforce distribution changes by industry and occupation for the same period. Further combining the O*Net data with the Employment and Unemployment Survey data and Periodic Labour Force Survey for 2011–2012 and 2020–2021, respectively, constructs the composite index of risk of automation (RoA). The RoA index scores reveal that between 2011–2012 and 2020–2021, the automation risk in all jobs in India has increased and the risk intensity varies across occupations and industries.